Windows 7 slow login (after normal boot)

I have a problem that is causing me to tear out what little hair I have left. My Win7 system (fully patched) has a slow login, with delays ranging from 60 seconds to 180 seconds. The desktop stays blank or if the desktop shows quickly (icons & task bar), any window opened or application start is extremely slow. Windows Explorer will draw its window outline but wait 60 to 120 seconds to fill it in. Live Mail will just spin at the opening window for 60 to 180 seconds before proceeding. Firefox generally waits 120 to 180 seconds to start (doesn't even show on the screen).

I have been through all the services but no resolution.

The only item I have run across in my router log, is access to IP 192.116.242.20, which is www.startssl.com, which has a very very long tracert (19 hops and 3-5 seconds of time), but ends up without finding the target. Ping times out as well. However, once FireFox is up, opening www.startssl.com quickly comes up (the web site is in Israel).

I don't have anything in my configuration that would spawn access to this web site (that I know of).

Has anyone hit a similar issue with long login times (NOT boot times, just login)?

Is there anything like flush DNS or flush the ARP table that would help?

I have scoured the Microsoft support pages but most of those items have been tried or don't apply. Web pages outside of Microsoft don't have much help either.

I have been using Sysinternals Process Explorer for years. In this particular situation, it doesn't help because during the period of up to 180 seconds of delay, nothing is getting CPU. There is no easy way to see what is waiting on a lock, queue, or some particular single threaded event.

However, Sysinternals ProcMon, which provides data on file activity, is somewhat useful. Ports (or IP connections) are considered files, and there I occasionally see large delays from some servers located on the web (not consistant however).

With regard to the other reference, "clean boot", just what does that mean? When I use F8 during the boot, I get an option for "safe boot", which means minimal driver load and reduced functionality. When that is selected, the things I want to do, don't work as they all access the web. "Safe boot" with networking is better.

Click on the words clean boot in my reply to go to the Microsoft KB article that describes a clean boot and the diagnostic procedure to follow if it works. Otherwise the article is at:http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

Okay, I missed expanding the options...I had been here before but forgotten.

However, safe boot did allow double click of Computer to open fast and completely. FireFox failed (no network); likewise for Live Mail.

Save Boot with networking allowed FireFox to start (fast; before it was really slow), but Live Mail still failed (I think due to missing LiveID service).

Thus, taking many of the services and drivers did make a difference.

Now, on to Clean Boot to see if I can identify which service is the offending service (or services).

In my research, I have noticed several connections to startssl.com (Israel, 192.116.242.20), which seems very slow (ping fails and tracert has 19 hops with 3-5 seconds of time before timing out on hop 20). Is there a way to identify why my computer is going to this IP address (using www.startssl.com in FireFox or IE directly, gets access and is much faster). WMI is a significant IP user as well.

Hi Ken,
After starting your computer, open Task Manager on the Processes tab the click the CPU tick, it will show the highest CPU user at the top of the column.
Your MTU looks ok. My Netgear Router is not ipv6 either.